Healthy, Easy Vegetarian Recipes

Healthy, easy, delicious, simple vegetarian meals are everywhere. However, most people don't realize how easy it is to eat vegetarian and enjoy a wide variety of dishes. This site is designed to give you ideas for low-calorie, vegetarian meals that are fast, easy, and delicious. It is just a sampling of the many wonderful options available to cook and/or create from scratch. I hope you find this website inspires you to try some new foods and new ways of preparing old dishes, and perhaps even results in some new creations of your own.

Why Be a Vegetarian?

It's Healthy

A vegetarian diet has been proven in studies to result in a lower incidence of heart disease, obesity, and some forms of cancer and diabetes.

It's Good for the Environment

Using farm land for to support animal rearing instead of feeding people wastes resources and adds to the problem of world hunger. A large amount of grain is needed to produce a small amount of meat. It takes 16 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of beef. It takes over 2500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef—or 100 pounds of wheat. 100 acres of land will yield beef for 20 people—or wheat for 240 people. One acre of land will yeild either 250 pounds of beef or 40,000 pounds of potatoes. 70% of the crops grown in the U.S. are fed to animals, not humans.

Meat production increases global warming by increasing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning and the loss of forest land, which aids in prevention of global warming. Meat production requires the burning of three times more fossil fuels than vegetable production. It takes 55 square feet of tropical rainforest to produce 1/4 pound of beef.

More air and water pollution result from the poisonous gases emitted into the air from slaughterhouses and fertilizer excess for cropland seeping into waterways and groundwater.

It's Economical

Vegetables are cheaper to buy than meat.

Meat entrees in restaurants are more expensive than vegetarian dishes.

It's Compassionate

Over 660,000 animals are killed every hour for meat in the U.S.

Slaugherhouses are places of cruelty and torture for animals enduring unimaginable amounts of pain and suffering.

Animals raised for food are usually confined to tiny cages and cramped living conditions without the ability to stand or walk around for their entire lives.

How to Be a Vegetarian

Oftentimes, those who are not familiar with the vast variety of vegetarian cuisine assume vegetarians eat mainly salads. Although that is one great option, there are so many great dishes beyond leafy green vegetables. Most dishes that are made with meat can be modified for vegetarians by simply taking the meat out and, if desired, substituting with another protein such as tofu, tempeh, eggs, beans, etc. See the meals pages for many great ideas for creating delicious, nutritious meals.